Threatened South American Coati Found Roaming In A Large City

[Judi Lynn]

Coati showing its canines. Photo Credit: Ulisesmorales, Wikipedia Commons

May 2, 2022 Eurasia Review
By Eurasia Review

You may assume that metropolitan areas are devoid of wildlife, but that is very far from the truth. The remaining green spaces within the urban matrices of large cities can serve as corridors or stepping stones for wild animals. Sometimes, even threatened mammal species end up using them.

On August 12, 2020, a research team from Brazil recorded a South American coati in Canoas, the fourth most populous and densely urbanized city in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. The animal was detected with a camera trap during a Masters research project conducted at the Canoas Airbase, one of the last green spaces remaining in the municipality.

Widely distributed throughout the continent, the South American coati is a medium-sized carnivore living on trees and feeding mainly on small invertebrates and fruits. The species is classified as Vulnerable in Rio Grande do Sul, and it’s considered threatened mainly because of the loss of its forest habitats.

The study that recorded an individual in the urban area was conducted as part of a partnership between the Canoas Airbase and La Salle University. Led by Dr Cristina Vargas Cademartori from La Salle University, the research team was made up of Diego Floriano da Rocha (Doctoral student), Thaís Brauner do Rosario (Masters student), Ana Carolina Pontes Maciel (biologist at the Canoas Airbase), and Duana Suelem Alves (undergraduate student). They described in detail the record and the study area in a paper in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation.

More:
https://www.eurasiareview.com/02052022-threatened-south-american-coati-found-roaming-in-a-large-city/

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South American coatis usually weigh 4-16 pounds with a length of 16-22 inches, which does not include their tail that can double their length.

Even though they may also go by the ring-tailed coati, the ring coloration may appear weak from coati to coati. The South American coati’s tail does not grasp onto branches to aid in climbing but instead gives balance.
Their coats vary in color from gray to brown to red with a dark snout and dark legs.

The South American coati can be found in the tropical and subtropical forests of South America in places like Columbia, Argentina, and more. They live in the trees and on the ground, looking for food in both but sleeping only in the trees.

South American coatis are omnivores, mainly eating fruit, eggs, and small critters. They search for fruit in the trees and use their long, flexible nose to poke through cracks to find prey. South American coatis also use their strong claws and legs to dig and roll logs around to find food underneath. When eating tarantulas, the South American coatis roll on top of them before consuming them to remove the tarantulas bothersome hairs.

More:
https://critterfacts.com/southamericancoati/